Visual Lessons for Brainshark Authors: What ELSE You Can Learn from a TV Commercial

Visual Lessons for Brainshark Authors: What ELSE You Can Learn from a TV Commercial

In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the role music plays in TV commercials and Brainshark presentations. But it’s not all about the music! Half the allure is the visual presentation of commercials (that’s the point of advertising on a TV, right?).

Having watched my fair share of commercials, I’ve been noticing a trend towards TV commercials that have the look and feel of PowerPoint presentations. Perhaps they are appealing to advertisers because they cost less to produce, or maybe it’s because they can be quickly updated. Whatever the reason, it’s a trend on the rise.

Let’s check out some examples.

These two commercials from Christian Mingle and Sprint could just about be created in PowerPoint. We have been tracking commercials like this for a while, and the one from Sprint (released September 2014) is the first of this type for a major national advertiser in a very competitive industry. What do you think?

Christian Mingle

Sprint

Now take a look at the way the way the text is used in this 5 Hour Energy presentation. Watch it the first time with audio and focus on the music; watch it a second time without audio and focus on the text. We are actually using this commercial in the Building a Better Brainshark Workshop series being held this Fall in 8 cities.

5 Hour Energy

Another trend I’ve noticed involves presentations with no narrator, just animated text. This could work for short 2-minute presentations and is well-suited for smartphone-viewing. As an example, take a look at this presentation created by Brainshark Services. If you like it, create something similar with these royalty-free animation templates!

As you now look at TV commercials from a different perspective, the question to ask is, “Are PowerPoint presentations becoming more like commercials, or are commercial becoming more like PowerPoint presentations?”